2 syllables: O, dette. Stress on dette.
oh-DET
/ˌoʊˈdɛt/
Odette is pronounced oh-DET (/ˌoʊˈdɛt/). It has two syllables (O-dette), with the stress on "dette". Odette is a proper noun, most often a feminine given name. It’s typically pronounced with three syllables, conveying a graceful, French-derived aura. In English, the name often lands on the second syllable with a light, rounded first vowel and a crisp final consonant, giving it an elegant, lyrical quality used in literature and culture.
nounOdette is a proper noun, most often a feminine given name. It’s typically pronounced with three syllables, conveying a graceful, French-derived aura. In English, the name often lands on the second syllable with a light, rounded first vowel and a crisp final consonant, giving it an elegant, lyrical quality used in literature and culture.
"Odette walked gracefully onto the stage, carrying the delicate role in the ballet."
"She introduced me to Odette, a friend whose name instantly evokes a ballet heroine."
"In the film, Odette speaks with a soft, refined accent that fits her character."
Odette is pronounced o-DET with the primary stress on the second syllable: /oʊˈdɛt/ in US English, and a similar pattern in UK/AU with slight vowel adjustments: US /oʊˈdɛt/, UK /əʊˈdɛt/, AU /əʊˈdɛt/. Start with a gentle, rounded /oʊ/ or /oʊ/ like 'oh', then place main emphasis on the “-det” syllable, ending crisply with a /t/. Mouth: lips rounded for /oʊ/, then relaxed for /d/, tongue at the alveolar ridge for /d/ and /ɛ/ as in “bed,” finishing with a crisp /t/. Audio reference: think of a calm, theatrical enunciation that lands the stress on DET.
Common errors include misplacing stress (pronouncing o-DET or OD-ette) and mispronouncing the /ɛ/ as /æ/ (like ‘cat’). Another pitfall is making the final /t/ too soft or dropping it in connected speech. Correction tips: keep the strong secondary beat on DET, keep /ɛ/ as a mid-front vowel, and terminate with a crisp /t/ by sharply releasing the tongue tip from the alveolar ridge.
In US English, /oʊˈdɛt/ with strong diphthong in the first syllable and clear /d/ and /ɛ/. UK English tends toward /əʊˈdɛt/ with a more centralized initial vowel and often tighter final consonant release. Australian English also uses /əʊˈdɛt/ but with slightly flatter vowel quality and a more clipped final /t/. Across all, the stress remains on the second syllable; rhoticity doesn’t affect the name much, but vowel quality and vowel duration differ subtly by locale.
Odette combines a rising first vowel diphthong and a short, tense /ɛ/ in the middle, then a crisp final /t/ that must be crisply released. The challenge is maintaining even quality across all three sounds while keeping the stress on the middle syllable, so the name doesn’t slide into two syllables. Another subtlety is avoiding a silent or softened final /t/ in connected speech, which can make the name sound like ‘OD-ett’ instead of ‘o-DET.’
Odette contains a compact three-syllable pattern with primary stress on the middle syllable, which can invite a slight vowel reduction in casual speech: oi-DET may become o-DET with a lighter first vowel. A unique question is whether the initial vowel ever shifts to a schwa in rapid speech; in careful speech you’ll keep /oʊ/ or /əʊ/ as full diphthongs, but in fluent narration you might hear /o/ or /əʊ/ before DET. IPA reminders: /oʊˈdɛt/ (US), /əʊˈdɛt/ (UK/AU).
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Odette is of French origin, a feminine form related to Odette from Germanic roots such as *Hodag* or *Oda*, tied to words meaning ‘wealth’ or ‘riches’ in some linguistic traditions. The name appears in early 20th-century French literature and ballet culture, notably popularized by the character Odette in Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake, where Odette is a princess under a spell. This literary-ballet lineage cemented its refined, European aesthetic in English-language usage. In contemporary times, Odette is embraced as a graceful, classic name across English-speaking countries, often associated with elegance, sensitivity, and artistic temperament. The pronunciation in English typically shifts from its French origin to accommodate English phonotactics, with stress commonly on the second syllable, producing o-DÉT or o-DE-tt? depending on dialect, while preserving a soft initial vowel and a crisp terminal consonant. The name also enjoys cross-cultural familiarity, appearing in books, films, and music, reinforcing its timeless, literary quality. First known use in English-language texts appears in 19th- to early-20th-century translations of French literary works and subsequently in stage and screen character naming, especially after the Swan Lake influence that popularized Odette as a heroine.
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Words that rhyme with "Odette"
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